By Scott Mendelson
HollywoodNews.com: There isn’t anything too surprising about a well-marketed and well-reviewed mainstream comedy opening well on its debut weekend, especially when there are no new releases to compete against. Still, 21 Jump Street topped the box office this weekend with a whopping estimated $35 million. If that number holds up, it will be the seventh-biggest debut for an R-rated comedy ever, as well as the fifth-biggest R-rated comedy debut for a non-sequel and the largest such debut outside of summer. Sony knew they had a winner on their hands, as the $42 million-budgeted film was as much a commentary on the current trend of recycling brand names as an example of such. They’ve been screening it out the wazoo, building solid buzz and strong word-of-mouth, for months on end. Oddly enough, the film earned just a ‘B’ from Cinemascore, and I’m frankly puzzled by that. Yes, audiences under 25 gave it an A, but it’s such a winning film that I’m shocked it’s not playing well across the board (my 61-year old father-in-law laughed his butt off at the press screening). It’s a terrifically funny and uncommonly warm and sweet (for an R-rated action comedy) picture, so one would presume that it will have legs in the coming weeks. Hopefully Sony will focus its second round of advertising on getting females into the theater (although it played 47% female and 50% over/under 25 years old) by emphasizing how *not* sexist and/or homophobic the picture is. It faces no direct competition (aside from the all-consuming hurricane that is The Hunger Games next weekend) until April 6th, when Universal debuts American Reunion. This is another big win for Channing Tatum. This is his third-biggest debut behind The Vow ($40 million) and GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra ($54 million). He also has a second GI Joe movie as well as a Steven Soderbergh reunion in Magic Mike both opening on June 29th. This is Jonah Hill’s second biggest live-action debut behind the $54 million opening of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.
Following last week’s semi-wide release of Friends With Kids (which expanded to 640 screens this weekend and grossed another $1.5 million, dropping 25%), we have three more theoretically mainstream films that have been relegated to the arthouse circuit. Will Ferrell’s telanoleva satire Casa […]

By Sean O’Connell
Hollywoodnews.com: Meet the newest member of the “Twilight” saga: Rami Malek.
With credits to his name that include HBO’s “The Pacific,” “24” and Ben Stiller’s “A Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” Malek will add the role of the Egyptian vampire Benjamin to his resume. ET Online reports that Malek said, “”I think it’s going to be great. It’s going to be super exciting, and I’m thrilled.”
Of course he is. He’s going to be plastered on the bedroom walls of teenage girls coast to coast come 2012, when part two of Bill Condon’s massive endeavor reaches theaters.
“Twilight” isn’t the only item on Malek’s list. He’ll also appear in Tom Hanks’ directorial effort “Larry Crowne,” which is due in theaters next year.
So yeah, it’s safe to say Malek is a star on the rise.
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(Reuters) - Elvis Presley's pair of personal jets, one complete with gilded wash basin and plush sleeping quarters, will go under the hammer in a sealed-bid auction for a piece of mile-high rock and roll memorabilia, Julien's Auctions said on Friday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - DISH Networks Inc said on Thursday it would make "The Interview," the controversial Sony Pictures Entertainment film about the fictitious assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, available as a pay-per-view option starting on Jan 2.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sony Pictures Entertainment added more viewing options for its provocative comedy "The Interview," making the film available through U.S. pay television operators and nearly doubling the number of independent theaters that will show the movie.